Lee Merrien heads the field in Rhodes, where he completed his second straight 1,500m-5,000m double at a canter. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0456910)

ONE of Finland’s greatest distance runners could pose a threat to Lee Merrien’s hopes of another distance double at this year’s NatWest Island Games.

Former European champion and Olympic long distance runner Janne Holmen is expected to don the vest of his native island, Aland, for the first time at the 13th biennial Games in late June, early July.

The greatest moment for Aland’s finest athlete – and the island has had a few of international standard – was winning the European Championships marathon title at Munich in 2002, when he crossed the line in 2hr. 12.04min.

Aged only 31, the Sweden-based runner is still competing at the highest levels, but hopes that Europa Cup commitments in June will still allow him to represent his home island in its second hosting of the Games.

Holmen was ninth in the World Championships last year, being well off his marathon best of 2.10.46, and while it is thought he would be unlikely to run in the Games half-marathon, because he would be in the middle of a heavy period of competition, entering a track event would certainly be one of the highlights of the week for the home crowd at the six-lane Wiklof Holding Arena, in Mariehamn.